Maurice Emmanuel destroyed many of his early works, reducing his catalogue from seventy-three pieces to only thirty opus numbers.
Composer Biography
Maurice Emmanuel was the eldest of a rich generation of French composers that included Claude Debussy, Guy Ropartz, Albéric Magnard, Paul Dukas, Erik Satie, Charles Koechlin, Albert Roussel, Florent Schmitt, Louis Vierne, and Charles Tournemire.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Emmanuel's principal claim to fame was his re-actualization of ancient musical modes into a boldly modern language.
Composition History
The cycle Musiques was inspired by the death of the young aviator son of Louis de Launay, a friend of the composer, who fell in action.
Composition History
Maurice Emmanuel dedicated In memoriam to his own mother, who died in 1902 after a long agony prolonged by medical error.
Composer Biography
Maurice Emmanuel was also one of the most eminent scholars and musicologists of his time, which tended to overshadow his work as a composer.
Critical Reception
The work In memoriam, a chamber cantata for two voices, violin, cello, and piano, is considered a masterpiece but remains largely unknown, with no certain public performance to date.
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